Tasting Event

While I am admittedly tardy in posting this, my mom and I went to a Panera tasting event a couple of months ago. The event was held to sample their new menu items. And since I think Panera has the greatest whole wheat baguette, I signed us up. On the menu: Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad, Creamy Tomato Soup and the Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich. The soup was my favorite because really, who doesn’t love soup in a bread bowl?

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Panera Bread

Omega 3s

In an effort to get those nutritious Omegas, I made salmon for dinner. I actually quite like salmon but my husband is not a fan. Because of this, almost never do I prepare it at home. But I had a tasting for it recently and decided to make salmon for me and halibut for him. This way, both of our appetites were satisfied.

On the menu: Pan seared salmon (or halibut), steamed broccoli and lemon pepper couscous

Kitchen Style

I have a very talented best friend whose creativity never ceases to amaze me. She has been a photographer for years but recently expanded her business to include home décor. Now, you might be wondering where I am going….this is, after all, a blog mostly about food. Well, she has recreated this vintage Jello mold into a photo holder. Creative, right? I certainly think so. And, I guess you could say I tend to find food related inspirations in non food items. As you can see, I use mine as a recipe holder.

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Carly Tee Photography and Design

A little vino

I love to open a bottle of wine with my husband on a quiet night at home. There is no quicker way to make it a relaxing and cozy night. Whether dinner is cooking on the stovetop or reheating in the micro, there is just something about sharing a good bottle of wine.

Holiday Baking

I love the time of year when the sugary results of an afternoon holiday baking session outweigh the nutritious options in the fridge and cupboards. Tis the season...

“Dinner is ready”

A morsel of culinary wisdom was once shared and has stuck with me for several years. This wisdom did not include impressive food knowledge, the inclusion of fad food ingredients or fancy knife techniques. Rather, it was simple: Learn to cook 5 good dinner meals and commit the recipes to memory.

While I’ve always valued this wisdom, only recently have I developed a full appreciation of it. As life gets busy, it’s nice to have a few ‘go to’ meals in your repertoire. This is especially true if you’ve ever found yourself wandering the aisles of the grocery store having forgotten your shopping list.

Chicken Parmesan is on my list. It is so easy that it doesn’t even have a formal ‘recipe’. It calls for a little-of-this, little-of-that approach to cooking. I simply brush the chicken breast with a bit of olive oil and season generously with garlic, S & P, and herbs of province. I grill it (healthier than the breaded variety) and serve with spaghetti sauce and shredded parmesan cheese on top. This time my side dishes were roasted butternut squash and sautéed spinach and garlic. Enjoy!